Elizabethton woman faces disorderly conduct charge

Published 8:58am Thursday, August 28, 2014

Police say a report from a concerned passerby led to the arrest of an Elizabethton woman on a disorderly conduct charge.
Amber Ward, 26, 608 Locust St., was arrested Tuesday shortly after 11 a.m. by Elizabethton Police Department Cpl. Lincoln Orellana and charged with disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In his report on the incident, Orellana said he was on patrol on West Mill Street when he was flagged down by a passerby who reported a woman was walking westbound on East Mill Street and behaving in a strange manner.
“He said she was yelling out loud and kept jumping in and out of the roadway and he was concerned for her well-being,” Orellana said.
Orellana said he found the woman, who was later identified as Ward, walking on East Mill Street heading toward North Lynn Avenue.
Orellana said that while speaking with Ward, he asked her if he could check the contents of her purse for his safety because he didn’t know whether the purse contained any weapons.
He said she refused to allow the officer to check her purse. The officer said he then asked if she had anything illegal in the purse and she said she did not.
“Ms. Ward then started to become very disorderly by cursing out loud and yelling,” Orellana said. “I asked her several times to calm down, which she didn’t.”
The officer said he then asked Ward if she was under the influence of anything, and wrote that she said she was not. Orellana said he then subjected her to a series of field sobriety tests, which he said she performed “to standard.”
At that time, Orellana said, he asked Ward once again if she had anything illegal in her purse and she responded “I have a marijuana pipe and a roach in it.” Orellana said he then told her he was going to remove the items from her purse and she began yelling and cursing at him.
“Ms. Ward then attempted to grab her purse, while I was removing the pipe out of it,” Orellana said, adding he then placed Ward’s hands behind her back and handcuffed her. Ward was then taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.